New Reports Reveal Impact of Cotton Diseases and Corn Invertebrate Pests on 2023 Crop Yields

Annually, cotton diseases and corn invertebrate pests pose significant challenges to crop yields in the United States and Canada. Two newly updated reports, compiled by plant pathologists and extension specialists from various states and provinces, shed light on the extent of these challenges in the 2023 growing season.

Cotton Diseases Taking Toll on Yields

The report highlights the diverse array of cotton diseases affecting yields across 17 U.S. cotton-producing states. These diseases, including root rots, stem diseases, seedling blights, foliar diseases, boll rots, and nematodes, vary in importance each year due to factors such as weather conditions and crop management practices.

Plant pathologists estimated the percentage yield loss from cotton diseases, revealing a substantial impact on the total cotton lint production of 12.4 million bales in the U.S. in 2023. This publication provides detailed insights into the specific disease losses in each participating state, with data collection dating back to 1952 for the entire U.S. and expanded to individual states since 1965.

Corn Yield Under Threat from Invertebrate Pests

In parallel, the report addresses the annual challenge posed by invertebrate pests on corn yields across 27 U.S. states and Ontario, Canada. In 2023, these pests, including corn rootworms, western bean cutworms, corn earworms, twospotted spider mites, Banks grass mites, and grasshoppers, contributed to an estimated 5.2 percent yield loss across the states and 1.3 percent in Ontario.

The report underscores the dynamic nature of these challenges and emphasizes the ongoing efforts of extension specialists and researchers to monitor and mitigate the impact of cotton diseases and corn invertebrate pests on agricultural productivity.